Funeral in Tana Toraja

Tana Toraja in Sulawesi Island in Indonesia has an extraordinary funeral tradition with ceremonies blending grief, tradition and wealth. When a member of society dies, family members of the deceased are required to hold a funeral ceremony that usually last for several days before the deceased is buried.
The family of deceased should provide as much buffaloes and pigs as they can afford for the ceremony.
The funeral begins when wisitors come to chant and pray at the pigs and buffalo-slaughtering field.
The deceased is not buried immediately after death, but is stored in a traditional house - Tongkonan, under the same roof which their family live. Torajans consider the person not truly dead until the moment of his or her funeral. It is when their spirit can begin its journey to the Land and Souls. The most exciting and wild part of the the ceremony is the brutal buffaloes fights and slaughter. The meat from slaughtered pigs and bulls is usually distributed to the funeral visitors in accordance to visitor's position in the community.
The heads and horns of slaughtered cattle is placed in front of deceased family. The more horns decorate the front of the house, the higher the status of the deceased.
The final resting place is usually in a cave up on the cliffs.